Google Must Turn Over YouTube Records: Judge

A judge has ordered Google to give Viacom records of all videos ever watched on YouTube, including users’ names and IP addresses, Wired reports. Viacom is seeking the data to bolster its $1 billion lawsuit against Google for allowing copyrighted Viacom clips on YouTube. The media giant believes the data will show that copyrighted clips draw more views than user-created content.

The judge called Google’s argument that the data dump would invade users’ privacy “speculative.” The Electronic Frontier Foundation said the judge’s order was a violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act that “threatens to expose deeply private information.” Google has defended its own data retention policies in the past by saying that IP addresses aren’t personally revealing.  (More Google stories.)